Ultrasound in the quantification of female pelvic organ prolapse

Objectives To evaluate the use of ultrasound in the quantification of prola pse and compare findings with clinical assessments obtained in a blind stud y. Methods In a prospective comparative clinical study, 145 patients referred for urogynecological assessment were examined clinically by one operator an d by translabial ultrasound by another operator. Results Clinical staging and International Continence Society coordinates w ere obtained for all 145 patients, as were ultrasound coordinates for desce nt of the anterior and posterior vaginal walls. Eighteen percent of the ute ri of those women who had not had a hysterectomy in the past could not be s een; none of these women suffered from uterine prolapse clinically. Correla tion with the prolapse assessment system recently endorsed by the Internati onal Continence Society was good (r = 0.77 for uterine prolapse, r = 0.72 f or anterior vaginal wall and r = 0.53 for posterior vaginal wall descent). Conclusions This study demonstrates that translabial ultrasound can be used to quantify female pelvic organ prolapse. Correlation with the Internation al Continence Society prolapse assessment system is good. The method may be particularly suitable for objective outcome assessment after surgical inte rvention.